


Waiting for Serendipity

by margrave



Series: Mayfly Sputterings [2]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Brothers, Gen, Not Beta Read, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:34:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25765276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/margrave/pseuds/margrave
Summary: Joe turned the corner with his bag of shopping, and because God has a sense of humour, Book ran right into him.(Post-movie, before the end sting.)
Series: Mayfly Sputterings [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1869157
Comments: 8
Kudos: 136





	Waiting for Serendipity

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in about 90 mins on about three hours of sleep. No beta, all mistakes all mine.
> 
> I love Joe and Book so much.

Joe turned the corner with his bag of shopping, and because God has a sense of humour, Book ran right into him. The impact made Joe drop his bag and he heard the shattering of a glass bottle. Fuck, the milk.

Considering what just happened and the shit show that was the last time they were in close proximity, which has only been four months ago, Joe felt he should be excused for his behaviour in what happened next.

Joe never said he wasn't a shit at times: there were several actions that a reasonable person could have responded with. Instead, Joe punched Book in the face, and felt the sweet sense of satisfaction as he felt cartilage gave under his fist. When he tells the story later to Nicky he's gonna have to edit some of the more juvenile moments. 

Book, on autopilot, slammed his hand into Joe's chest with enough force that he just knew it meant that the slam had fractured or broken a few ribs. The two of them fell backwards at the force of each other's impact. It would have been hilarious if the both of them weren't in a tonne of fucking pain.

"What the fuck?!" Shouted Book as he pushed himself from the pavement, "You broke my fucking nose!" He definitely sounded more nasally, the blood leaking all over his face was pretty fucking glorious.

Joe was wheezing too hard to provide a proper response, but he felt the middle finger salute he threw at Book conveyed his feelings most admirably. Of course the fucker used a move that Joe taught him. 

They both eyed each other with narrowed gaze. Joe might have broken Book's nose but Book has cracked at least two of his ribs. The smart thing was to walk away and pretend they never saw each other, but the problem with Joe and Book was that when they are pissed they tend to let their emotions guide them.

So, of course Joe was going to bull-rush Book with a roar of rage, and of course Book was gonna slam his elbow down Joe's neck. Joe could hear his inner Nicky sigh in disappointment, he silently apologised but that didn't stop him from lifting Book by the waist and going for a full body slam into the concrete. Book, despite what Joe liked to think at the moment, wasn't a fucking moron so of course instead of fighting the lift he went with Joe's momentum and grabbed Joe's neck.

The last thought before Joe's neck snapped was that shit, the milk he bought for Nicky hadn't survived this, Nicky was going to be so disappointed.

…

Joe woke up to the feeling of his neck cracking back into place and his ribs mending itself. He also woke up to Book's voice.

"Congratulations, you took me out with a body slam. I woke up about five minutes ago," Book said from where he was leaning against the park bench. 

Joe waved his hand at Book in acknowledgement, and slowly sat up from the ground. He propped himself next to Book, and yep there was the broken bottle of milk on the pavement. "Thanks," Joe said, the anger was still there but was a slow simmer as opposed to a full burning rage. What was unsaid was thanks for not leaving, of course Book would have stayed to make sure Joe woke up. Joe would have done the same for Book, the thought of leaving his brother alone, not knowing if he would ever wake up was fucking horrifying.

The two of them sat there silent for several moments.

"This was a coincidence," Book said, "I didn't know you were in the city."

"I know, this was a spur of the moment for us," Joe said, he knew at least that much, Book wouldn't have been on the same continent if he had thought Joe or any of the others were here. 

Book looked like a wreck, beyond the blood still on his face, his eyes were red, more stubble than ever, and he was drenched in the heavy scent of alcohol. But Joe couldn't, wouldn't do anything, Book made the decision to betray them all, and punishment had to be served. Yet - despite everything Joe still loved Book like his own brother, and he couldn't let Book suffer more than he deserved. "Andy is fine, the baby is sharp as a whip, and Nicky is craving home-made bônet hence the -" Joe waved toward the bag of grocery with the smashed glass of milk a little bit further away. 

Joe could hear Book swallow hard, probably fighting tears, the sentimental fuckup. Book started shuffling around, reaching for another bag not far away from them that Joe only noticed now. "Take it," Book handed over the plastic bag. Joe lifted a brow but took the bag and looked inside, and of fucking course inside was a bottle of milk and some cigarettes. 

Joe took the milk and handed back the bag, not saying anything, Book took the bag, he wasn't really expecting any thanks. He took a deep breath and then looked at Joe, his gaze was intent as if he was trying to remember every line of Joe, committing to memory because this freak meeting was probably the last they were going to see each other until the promised time was met. But, at the end of the day Book was Joe's idiot of an alcoholic brother, and even when he was in the middle of pure mindless rage Joe didn't want Book to walk away with the look of someone who has nothing left to lose. 

Joe took a long sigh and moved slowly so that Book could see him approach. He carefully put his hands around Book's face, fingers rubbing away the dried blood till Book didn't look like an extra from a horror movie. And Book, Book looked like the world had thrown him a curve ball he didn't know how to handle. Joe shifted back, got to his feet, grabbed the amaretto biscuits and hazelnuts that had surprisingly survived the broken glass bottle, he then shifted back to face Book, and waited. It took a minute for Book to realise that Joe was waiting for him to get up because Joe didn't trust the fucking dipshit to not just sit there in the cold all night.

Book struggled up, shrugged his coat closer to him, and without looking at Joe stumbled down the concrete path with his bag of cigarettes. He disappeared around the corner that Joe had came from.

Joe stared blankly at the spot Book had been, and for a split second thought about following, to find Book and have that shouting match he so desperately wanted. But it was a fleeting urge, and Joe will see Book again.

For now, he has his family to return to.

__Fin__


End file.
